Fury as migrant who impregnated woman, 10, has expenses lowered as ‘there was no violence’
The unnamed migrant from Bangladesh was accused of raping and sexually assaulting the 10-year-old child, but had pleaded they had been in a “relationship” when the act took place
Police in Italy have been holding a 29-year-old man in custody after he had raped a 10-year-old girl (stock)(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Fury has rocked Italy after a judge downgraded charges of rape and sexual assault against a 29-year-old migrant. The man had been facing charges amid claims he had raped and impregnated a 10-year-old girl.
Outrage first struck the nation back in 2024 after it was first reported that the child, from sub-Saharan Africa, had been raped at a reception centre. The young girl, who had been staying at the centre in the town of Collio in Lombardy, was later taken to hospital and had to have an abortion after it was confirmed she was pregnant.
Since then, the case has captured public attention, with people shocked at how the man had been able to rape such a young girl. However, anger has now spread after a presiding judge lowered the charges the unnamed defendant was facing.
According to the Daily Mail, the Bangladeshi immigrant had claimed in court that he and girl had been in some form of “relationship” prior to the rape. His legal team had insisted to the court that “there was no violence” involved in the incident.
Upon hearing the evidence, the judge found the man guilty of aggravated sexual assault against a minor, as well as sexual acts with a child. He is now set to spend a total of five years in prison for his crimes.
Local media reported that the sentencing had been following a fast-tracked trial, which had allowed the total sentence to be reduced by a third. As a result of the ruling, politicians across the region and the country have been left in shock and anger, calling for a harsher punishment.
Right-wing populist Simona Bordonali, part of the Lega party, demanded a change in the law, fuming: “The mere five-year sentence handed down to a person responsible for the atrocious and unspeakable violence against a child leaves me stunned.” She added: “It’s our duty to question the proportionality of sentences, the effective protection of minors, and the message that sentences like this risk sending.
“Justice must be commensurate with the suffering inflicted on the most defenceless victims,” she concluded. During the trial, the 29-year-old man had never denied it had been him who had carried out the act, even before DNA confirmed it was him.
However, he insisted that there was no assault and regretted what he had done. Speaking before the court at the time, the perpetrator said: “I understand the gravity of [the assault].”
After being arrested, the man has been held in a prison in the town of Cremona for the past year. In the run-up to the trial, prosecutors had requested a total sentence of six years and eight months right before the charges were downgraded.
In November, during the height of the trial, Lega’s leader Matteo Salvini had slammed the decision for such a low prison sentence, branding it “appalling” and “unacceptable”. As per the law in Italy, the full reason for the downgrade in charges will be revealed to the public within the space of 90 days.
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